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Building 3D printers is becoming straightforward, with kits that come with instructions and an Internet forum for people to ask others for advice. Designing 3D printers is becoming easier, with off-the-shelf assemblies becoming commonplace on stores like OpenBuilds. Designing portable 3D printers is not so easy: hinges have to be arranged, and parts have to slot or lock together. Designing compact 3D printers is particularly challenging: space becomes a premium, areas which were previously independent can overlap if care is not taken, and parts could hit each other during travel.

Designing fast 3D printers that have travel speeds of up to 1,000 mm/sec and that can extrude filament at 90 cubic millimetres per second is already right on the edge of current community research and experimentation, and to consider designing an entirely new 3D printer only 10 weeks before getting on an international airplane flight (with the printer in a suitcase) brings its own set of interesting challenges. So to even contemplate building a folding, compact, portable, fast and accurate 3D printer that has to survive international transportation - in under 10 weeks is - to be absolutely frank, just completely bonkers.

This talk will therefore bring the good, the bad, and the ugly to the table, including an explanation of some counter-intuitive but elegant mechanical design aspects as well as explaining how and why permaculture principles were applied to solve real engineering problems. An answer to the question, "Why does this 3D printer have a rubber bath mat and 18in carpet tiles on its BOM" will be revealed. URL: http://reprap.org/wiki/Sandwich200

I'm an eco-conscious Libre hardware and software engineer. Current projects include an engine design that is 40% more fuel-efficient than any standard engine available today, is less materials, and is perfectly balanced (zero vibration, zero rotation). Also I am working on an eco-conscious... Read More →